Healton also points out that the most recent generation of young adults grew up with other campaigns that educated people about the risks of smoking. Previous generations were unaware of the consequences.

Electronic cigarettes may also be partly responsible for the decline, Healton says. It’s not clear whether e-cigs actually help people quit smoking cigarettes, she says, but as smoking rates have decreased, the prevalence of e-cigs had risen.

But scientists still aren’t sure whether vaping is safe for your health, says Jessica Cook, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health.

The literal cost of smoking has increased in recent years, too, due to tobacco tax hikes. “Research shows that smokers are very price sensitive,” Cook says.

Why Do More Men Smoke Than Women?

One unsettling finding in the CDC report: Men still smoke at higher rates than women (16.7 percent, compared to 13.6 percent).

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That’s always been the case, Healton says.

It’s a trend found all over the world, probably due to cultural norms, says Cook.

The gap is even worse in other parts of the globe: The World Health Organization estimates that 40 percent of men worldwide smoke, compared to 9 percent of women.

That’s clearly a problem, given the long list of consequences that smoking has for your health.

Regular exposure to cigarette smoke is a key contributor to heart disease. And men who smoke are 25 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers, according to the 2014 US General Surgeon report.

Smokers are likely to shave 10 to 15 years off their lives compared to nonsmokers, Cook says.

The good news is that more men stopped smoking the last year than ever before, according to the report. A quarter of male smokers reported quitting in the last year compared to 19 percent of female smokers.

How to Quit Smoking

Healton recommends nicotine replacement therapy. Chewing nicotine gum or a nicotine patch can help ease your need to smoke. They’re both available over the counter.

You can also go the Rx route and ask your doctor for smoking cessation medication, such as Chantix. It’s a nicotine-free pill that works to treat tobacco dependence.

A 2016 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that prescription medications and nicotine replacement therapy were equally effective: After one year, about 20 percent of participants in both groups stopped smoking.

Compare that to the estimated 3 to 5 percent success rate among smokers who try to quit cold turkey.

Finally, you might want to go easy on the booze, too—at least for the first month. Cook says people who smoke tend to relapse when they drink alcohol.

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